Happy Birthday?
by PrincessZaraStar
Summary: It's Tsubasa's birthday. That doesn't sound like anything out of the ordinary, right? That is, unless it includes hyper bladers, baby books, eagles, skyping, and cakes exploding everywhere. Nothing new.


_For my little sister :)._

_I love you sis! Happy Birthday! (although you're going to be sick of that phrase after this story XD)_

_I do not own MFB._

* * *

_Fear._

_Horror._

_Terror._

_These are the things he felt as he peered through the dimly-lit room to witness three figures towering over his bed. Tugging the blankets closer, he felt his golden eyes go wide when they grew larger in size._

"_Bwahaha," one of them cackled softly, a gleaming knife held in his hand._

"_You'll never guess what we've planned," another said in a voice that was all-too-excited._

"_Please! Take my all belongings!" the victim burst, fear penetrating his heart, "Just don't kill me!"_

_The third of the figures loomed over him with a sneering smile spreading across his face,_

"_After today, you will never be the same!"_

_All three spurted with evil laughter, nearly shaking the room with their chortles._

"_No!"_

"No? But we were going to have so much fun!" a certain blonde-haired child pouted, "I thought you'd enjoy it! It is your birthday after all, Tsubasa."

Fun? Birthday?

Sitting up abruptly, Tsubasa peered around to see three familiar comrades staring expectantly at him. The first, a reckless red-head known as Ginka, was cutting a cake covered in M&Ms, bearing a befuddled expression on his face. M&Ms. His favorite candy. Tsubasa felt his mouth water at the thought of the rich, creamy chocolate swirling onto his tounge-

Wait. So it was all a dream then? The knife, the cackling, the figures?

After surviving the dark power, his dreams still haunted him at times.

"Are you feeling okay, Tsubasa?" the second, or Masamune asked, his coffee-brown eyes full of genuine concern.

"I-I'm fine," the teenaged blader swung his long, tanned legs over the bedside and stared at the others, "What are you doing in my room?"

"It's your birthday, stupid!" Yu giggled, "So we came to wake you up and celebrate!"

Birthday. Right. He had forgotten about that.

The little boy proceeded to hop up onto the bed and give his older friend a suffocating hug. After feeling the life squeezed right out of him, Tsubasa patted Yu's back and broke the embrace,

"Uh, thanks guys. But you didn't have to do this. Really."

"But we did!" Masamune exclaimed happily, "Ginka baked you this cake for breakfast and then everyone else has a different surprise planned for you throughout the day! You're going to have the best birthday ever!"

"T-thanks," the eagle blader managed to say, slightly freaked out at Masamune's eagerness. That was never a good thing. At least in his experience. "But how did you know it was my birthday?"

"Oh we just asked your secret fan-club. They know everything about you; it's scary," Ginka paused and his golden eyes grew wide, "I think they know more about you than you know about yourself! Gasp!"

"Ginkie, did you seriously just say gasp? You're supposed to actually _gasp_ not say the _word_."

"Well, sor-ry!"

"Ditz."

"Well!" Tsubasa smiled a little too sweetly as he broke up their little fight, "Thanks for wishing me a happy birthday, but I'm going to go back to sleep now, so if you don't mind-"

"Oh no you don't!" Masamune sang, grabbing the teen's shoulders and leading him over to the foot of the bed. "I have something very special to show you!"

Tsubasa unwillingly seated himself and tapped his fingers on his legs impatiently. What an interesting birthday this was turning out to be already.

Fumbling for something in his bag, Masamune pulled out a pastel purple book with a crisp, red bow tied around it.

Oh no.

He wouldn't.

He _couldn't!_

"I found your baby book!"

He did.

"_Where,_" Tsubasa stopped himself and slowed down when his voice came out high and desperate, "Where did you get that?"

Masamune grinned innocently, untied the ribbon, and opened the book with a gentle hand, "It was in your bag. Man, you're such a weirdo; carrying your baby book with you everywhere."

The teenager grunted in response.

"Aw, you're so cute!" Ginka ejaculated, pointing at the first picture.

A tiny, olive-skinned baby stared straight at the camera, big, golden eyes full of questioning and tiny fingers reaching out to touch the lens. The petite lip was curled into an unreadable expression; not smiling, nor frowning, just _being_. Fuzzy, silver hair just covered the tip of the skull. The start of the boy's lengthy mane.

"You're like a teeny, tiny, Tsubasa-chan!" Yu squealed, "And I though Ginkie's baby pictures were cute."

"I was definitely cuter!" Ginka retorted, "At least I was smiling!"

"Yeah, smiling like a dying cow!" Masamune commented, with a disgusted expression, as he turned the page,"I will _never_ be able to un-see that."

Staring at them in wonder, Tsubasa considered thoughts of snatching the book away, moving to Quatar, and living in peace, but somehow; that didn't seem like the right thing to do. Instead, he miraculously survived the torture through the next half hour.

"And there you are! Watching the Eagles game with your eagle!"

"Aww, there's you with your first packet of M&M's! Wow, you were such a pig! Check out the chocolate mustache."

"Ha, I'm guessing that's your first haircut? Dude, you're, like, attacking the guy with your beyblade. You're so protective of your hair."

"And there you are-"

"You know what?" Tsubasa pushed himself off the bed and stood up to tower over his friends, "That was great, but I think we're done here, so if you could just give me back the book-"

"Hold on!" Masamune put his hand up to stop him, turned to the back of the book, and pointed to more pictures, "We added these ones! Check them out!"

Squinting for a closer look, Tsubasa observed the pictures curiously.

His insane moments when the dark power overtook him.

Ryuga defeating him in battle.

And some immature child's artwork featuring what looked like a cross between a pig and an armadillo. With wings.

"That's your eagle!" Masamune pointed out, taking credit for his work, "I drew him!"

Should've known.

"Okay thanks for that," Tsubasa nodded, trying to get the metal picture of the dark power out of his mind, "Great birthday present. I love it. Now, please go-"

"Silly!" Ginka interrupted, "We have waaay more where that came from! Get dressed and meet us in front of the apartment complex, because we're taking you out for breakfast. Well actually," he shoved a piece of the M&M cake in the confused blader's face, "This is your breakfast. We're going to take you out for 2nd breakfast."

_Oh gosh, I have a bad feeling about this..._

"Okay," Tsubasa uncertainly answered, "I'll be down as soon as I get ready."

* * *

After grooming himself and meeting the others, Tsubasa walked down to a tiny restaurant and sat down at a table that Ginka had reserved earlier. He felt somewhat nervous when he noted that this particular restaurant was well-known for its odd cuisine. But he tried to shrug that off. It was his birthday after all. His friends were being nice. They wouldn't do anything weird, right?

"And here is your meal!" the waiter finally announced after they had waited for 2 ½ hours. Tsubasa was absolutely starved. Earlier, he had observed Ginka's cake only to discover that it was made up of goop, burnt crusts, and icing without sweetener. So he was definitely looking forward to 2nd breakfast, as it would technically be his first.

"We ordered this specifically for you!" Ginka beamed, motioning to the man holding the silver platter. Tsubasa actually found himself smiling. This was nice. Hanging out with friends, anticipating a meal (that smelled mouthwateringly delicious), and celebrating his birthday. It seemed too good to be true.

"Enjoy!" Waiter-man picked the metal lid off the platter to reveal the meal. The world seemed to move into slow motion as Tsubasa's curiosity took over.

Stomach grumbling uncontrollably, he imagined a steak grilled to perfection, still sizzling on the platter. Or a mountain of burgers, each dripping with sweet tang. Or even a delicate, creamy sauce draped over steaming pasta. The delicious possibilities were endless.

"Stuffed Eagle!"

His heart dropped like a heavy stone.

Did he just say...eagle?

No, he couldn't possibly have said that.

He probably said some french word that means steak. Or perhaps Italian for casserole?

But upon closer inspection, it did appear to be an eagle. At least, it was in the shape of the majestic bird. What kind of sane person dines on such a fine animal?

"We know that you like eagles, so we thought, 'why not eat one!' What do you think?" Ginka was still wearing that stupid smile and the others were eagerly filling their plates with meat.

"What do I think? What do I _think!_" Tsubasa's breathing increased as he felt a swift anger overtake him, "I think you need a reality check! How could you do something so horrible to such a beautiful, graceful creature of nature! I am appalled at you! All of you! What do you have to say for yourselves?"

"_Mmm._ Tastes like chicken!" Masamune announced, eating a biteful.

He. _Ate._ It.

Suddenly, Tsubasa wasn't hungry anymore.

"I'll be back at the apartment," he mumbled, heart racing as he thought of the poor eagle, condemned to this heinous fate. In Masamune's stomach.

"Leaving so soon?" Yu frowned, "Do you at least want to take some to go?"

Shooting him a death glare, Tsubasa left without another word.

* * *

In the next hour, Tsubasa found that he was grateful for three things.

First, he was grateful that he had his own eagle. His own eagle that he could protect, raise, and teach. An eagle that wouldn't have to worry about being thrown into an oven for people to consume.

Second, he was especially thankful for awesome people like Hyouma who actually put their friend's birthdays in their calendars and then took them out for breakfast. Or in Tsubasa's case: 3rd breakfast. They laughed, shared a few jokes, talked about some issues going on in the world and their lives and then parted ways with smiles pasted on their faces. Yes, sometimes it seemed that friends like these were there just to keep sanity intact.

And third, he was grateful for friends like Hikaru, who remembered that his favorite candy was M&M's. She had given him a packet, bumping into him while he was on his way to the park, and then she wished him a happy birthday. Sticking it in his back pocket, he had smiled and thanked her for her generosity.

Maybe after all that, it could still be a happy birthday. Maybe he could forgive his former Gan Gan Galaxy teammates for the eagle fiasco.

Whistling, he shoved his hands in his pockets and found himself striding right into Bey Park. The sun beat onto his face, songbirds chirped joyfully and multi-colored butterflies flitted around lazily. All felt right in the world. All was well.

"Ah there you are."

Not that voice. Oh no, not that voice.

Whipping around, he came face to face with the exact person he hoped wouldn't be there.

Yes.

He was faced with Ryuga.

"What do _you_ want?" he distrustfully questioned, crossing his arms.

White, spiked hair shaking back and forth in the sudden breeze, Ryuga got that maniac smirk on his face. That one that appeared right before something bad happened. Without a word, he reached out his hand to shake.

"You want...to shake hands?"

"I heard it's your birthday," he said simply, "I felt like a consolation shake might do as a present."

"Uh huh," the eagle blader humored his foe, nodding slowly.

"Happy Birthday," Ryuga added as an afterthought.

_It's just a handshake, Tsubasa. Geez, why are you always so suspicious of everything?_

"Um, okay," he agreed, as he reached out his hand to shake.

Fingers connected, entwined, lifted to shake and-

"Ahahaha!" Ryuga chortled, a dark, purple aura beginning to surround him, "You never change do you? Always so ignorant and clueless. It's no wonder I beat you so easily in battle."

The violet aura spread to Tsubasa and he watched it ripple towards Ryuga as energy began to drain from his being. Dizziness seeped into his body, energy merging with the aura and wafting away into Ryuga.

"W-what are you doing?" he managed to sputter to the dragon blader, nearly on his knees at this point.

"Just wishing a happy birthday from one blader to another."

With that, he broke the connection and went on his merry, little way, not saying another word.

Tsubasa gasped for breath, falling to his knees in agony. Unconsciousness seemed so close in that moment, and his golden eyes were opened wide.

He tried to process what just happened.

He went to the park. Ryuga showed up. Ryuga stole his energy. Ryuga left. He was nearly dead. He was about to fall apart. He was-

"Tsubasa! Just the man I wanted to see!"

Ugg, more people. Could this birthday get any worse?

"Woah, you don't look so good. Just how much time _have_ you been spending with Ginka, Masamune, and Yu?"

Fighting to stand up, he managed to stand without toppling over and turned to greet the next person.

Oh it was only Kyouya. This shouldn't be too bad.

"H-hi Kyouya," he waved slightly, trying to appear somewhat normal, "I'm the man you wanted to see?"

"No. I was just saying that," Kyouya grumbled, "I heard from Hikaru that it's your birthday so I thought I should probably give you something, not that I really care."

Kyouya. Gotta love him.

"Uh thanks?" Tsubasa smoothed his electrocuted hair back into its iconic ponytail. Ryuga's encounter had left his hair in a frenzy and his clothes were worn and covered in burns.

"Whatever," the forest-haired blader flipped his bangs out of his face and held out some sort of picture.

A signed photo of Kyouya posing all chill-like. It appeared to be one of those crazy fan-girl pictures that people go nuts over, just to buy it.

"Uh thanks?" Tsubasa repeated.

"Sorry I couldn't find you anything better," Kyouya carelessly apologized, "But Ginka's birthday is coming up and everyone's been planning his party for months and I just spent the last _week_ finding him a gift. Everybody who's anybody knows him, even around the globe. His birthday's just too big a thing to miss or forget. I mean," he paused for a minute, "no offense to you or anything."

"None taken," Tsubasa lied. Okay, maybe he was offended, but seriously? He couldn't've cared less if Kyouya said that any other day. That was Kyouya. But today? On his birthday? It was downright rude. "So, uh, see you around, I guess?"

"Whatever," Kyouya shoved his hands into his pockets and walked off towards the city.

Still stunned at the strange encounter, Tsubasa prepared to leave for the apartment when Kyouya whipped back around and gave a tiny wave with two fingers,

"Oh yeah. And Happy Birthday."

Happy Birthday.

The words echoed in Tsubasa's mind, clashing with each other over and over again. They seemed like a horrible curse, disguised as a blessing.

Happy Birthday indeed.

* * *

Bumping into Madoka on the way to the apartment brought a slight amount of happiness, but the fact that his M&M's seemed to be missing from his pocket ruined any remaining joy. As he stepped, Tsubasa rolled Madoka's present around in his fingers; a slim, shiny, new can of Bey Polish.

_More Bey Polish..._

After fighting the lock to get into the apartment, it clicked in place and he was able to enter, seeking peace and relaxation.

Peace and relaxation. Yeah right.

The first thing he noted was some sort of explosion in the mini kitchen. Literally everything imaginable was splattered across the room on every object. Cabinets, sink, refrigerator, dishwasher-the works.

_Ginka's doing..._

Second, he met Yu, who lounged on the couch, watching cartoons and nearly inhaling a packet of M&Ms. Upon noticing Tsubasa, he slowly hid the packet behind his back, hoping that their presence wouldn't be detected.

"Where did you get those, Yu?" Tsubasa asked casually, casting the kitchen a disgusted glance.

"Um, somewhere," he replied vaguely. "Nowhere special really."

Well, at least Tsubasa knew where his M&M's had gone.

"What happened to you? Your clothes are all _dirty,_" Yu pointed out, swiftly changing the subject.

"It's a long story," Tsubasa said simply, not answering the question. He pulled his Bey Polish out of his pocket and fingered it thoughtfully.

"More Bey Polish?" Yu continued, the crack of a smile on his face.

"Yeah," the tanned teenager tossed it onto a large pile of more Bey Polish, "I don't know what I'm going to do with all this polish."

Yu grinned mischievously,

"I think it's flammable! We could probably have an explosion!"

Tsubasa let out a light laugh at this small joke, his chest shaking lightly, until it grew into a full-blown chortle and he had to clutch his stomach. Casting him a quizzical look, Yu awkwardly began to laugh until he too was guffawing. Laughter mixed together, both bladers completely at a loss as to what was so funny.

"S-so-haha-does this mean that you w-want to-hehe-explode stuff then?"

Tsubasa released one last laugh before tightening his features into his normal, placid expression,

"No."

With that, he turned on his heel and left to his bedroom.

* * *

"_Ah..._" he sighed, flopping straight onto his bed.

Today was becoming terrible. He couldn't imagine how it could get any worse.

_Ding!_

A skype notification.

Dragging his silver laptop over, he typed in his password rapidly and hit enter. He made sure it was a strong password. If Yu ever managed to figure it out, his computer would be spammed with games for sure. And virus' were sure to follow.

He tapped the touchpad lightly to click the little skype icon and open up the program, while mentally instructing himself. Sign in. Tap the 'new message' icon. Read message.

Benkei, of course! How could he have forgotten that Benkei was the boy that obsessed over everyone's birthday; sometimes even a little too much.

Take last year for instance. He had programmed a kiddy jeep to shoot fireworks that spelled Happy Birthday whenever someone drove it for Masamune's birthday. Masamune had a ton of fun with it, but when he stuck it in the facehunter garage for the night, he forgot to tell others about the fireworks. So when Ginka went to use it the next day -.

Let's just say it was interesting.

_Benkei: Tsubasa! Buddy! Happy B-Day, dude!_

Tsubasa smiled a little to himself, feeling a twinge of happiness that someone had actually sought him out and wished him a genuine happy birthday.

_Tsubasa: Thanks Benkei. It means a lot to me._

_Benkei: Hey, dn't sweat it! I hv another surprise 4 u, if u cn do video chat._

_Tsubasa: Sure, do you want to call me, or should I call you?_

_Benkei: h/o I'll call u._

Within a matter of seconds, the little call notification started ringing. Tsubasa selected the 'accept' button and waited as the video chat loaded up. A pinpoint of light zapped on, announcing that his web cam was in use.

Once the streaming cleared, Tsubasa saw Benkei sitting at his desk, smiling and combing his fingers through his lavender hair.

"Happy Birthday!" he greeted, waving frantically.

"Thanks Benkei," Tsubasa smiled a little, breaking his stoic expression.

"So, do you remember last year, I sang 'Happy Birthday' for Madoka in fast motion?"

Oh yes. It was the strangest thing he had ever heard. Period. It sounded like a cross between a whistling tea kettle and a squeaking mouse. To the tune of Happy Birthday.

"Yeah..."

"Well, for your birthday, I thought: Why not try it in slow motion!"

"Aw, Benkei you're hilarious," Tsubasa tried to shrug off the feeling that this might not go so well and tried to focus on the positive. It was nice of him. And he was doing it as a birthday present.

Benkei's brown eyes crinkled as another smile emerged on his face,

"Thanks! Alright, here goes. _Ahem_. Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa..."

_15 minutes later..._

"aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa..."

_20 minutes later..._

"aaaaaaa," he paused to take a breath, "aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa..."

_45 minutes later..._

"aaaapppyyyyyyyy."

_One hour later..._

"yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy..."

Tsubasa coughed slightly and imagined what it would be like if he actually sat there and watched the whole thing. Benkei wasn't even done with the first word yet and it had been two hours and twenty minutes already.

"Uh, Benkei, I think I should probably go now. Thanks for wishing me a ha-"

"Birrrrrrrrrrr..."

"Nevermind," silently prompting himself, he gathered his courage and ended the call with the slam of his laptop screen.

"I will never be able to un-hear that," he said aloud.

Right then, his door creaked open, the hinges screaming and a little blond head poked out.

"Tsubasa," Yu began, "I was wondering if you wanted to go get ice-cream with me at the park. I'll pay, since it's your birthday."

No, not another present! After today, Tsubasa had vowed that he would never accept a present again! They were too dangerous. And deadly. And embarrassing.

"Sorry Yu, but I-"

"Please?" Yu turned on his puppy dog eyes, his bright, green eyes glowing.

Oh darn, how could he say no to _that?_

"Well, okay," he relented, slipping on his boots.

* * *

Ice-cream, Tsubasa decided, was his new best friend.

Rich, sugary cream rolled into a smooth ball atop a cone was a welcome change from the day's events. He ordered two scoops of plain, velvety chocolate ice-cream pressed into a waffle cone, finding a smile creep onto his face when he tasted it. Yu, on the other hand, ordered every flavor and topping available, all heaped on a teeny-tiny cone. It was massive and frighteningly gloppy-looking.

"Do you have _enough _?" Tsubasa said, eyes tracing over Mt. Ice-Cream.

"Nope!" Yu giggled, licking his desert greedily.

Ice cream in hand, they found their way to particularly special hill, right next to a trail, and laid down in the fresh grass, feeling the coolness of the earth meet their skin with a pleasant sensation.

While eating his sugary treat, Tsubasa tried to process what had happened throughout the day.

He woke up from a nightmare. Masamune had discovered his baby book. Ginka destroyed the kitchen with his crazy cake. They all tried to feed him stuffed eagle. Hyouma took him out to eat and they had a great time. Hikaru gave him M&M's. Ryuga nearly killed him. Kyouya was Kyouya. Benkei was slower than a sleeping turtle. And now Yu had taken him out to ice-cream.

Altogether, he wasn't sure whether it had all been enjoyable or not. It had been an emotional day – for him at least. A crazy, emotional day.

"Tsubasa," Yu broke the silence, his emerald eyes fixed on the sparkling ocean in front of them.

"Mhm?"

"Did you have fun today?"

How does one answer that question?

"Um -"

"Because we all worked really hard to make today special for you," he turned to face his older friend, "I'm sorry if we ruined your birthday with the eagle thing and the cake and the-"

"Oh, it's fine Yu," Tsubasa assured, patting his shoulder, "I had a great time." Another motivational lick of the chocolate ice-cream helped to convince himself that that was true.

"If you say so," Yu looked down at his shoes and bit another huge hunk out of his treat, "Um, Tsubasa?"

"Yes?" he turned and peered down at his younger companion, noting the orange/pink hues of the setting sun glowing on his face. The ocean turned the color of orange juice.

"I-I've been meaning to tell you," he looked away again, "that you've a-always been like -"

"Like _what?_"

What obnoxious insult was about to come out of this kid's mouth? What else could he do to ruin today? Tsubasa was actually considering just leaving before Yu could say the next thing, but he was too curious.

Yu's face became flustered,

"Like a brother! A big BROTHER! And I'm REALLY, REALLY _sorry_ if today didn't go as planned! But I really wanted you to have a good day and I'm _sorry_ that you didn't have fun!"

Taken aback, Tsubasa studied Yu's facial features carefully to detect any lying. Nothing. Perfect eye contact. Unflinching muscles. Tears welling up in his eyes...

"And I'm sorry for taking your M&M's too! They were SO good! I know how much you love them!" He started crying on the spot, his head falling into Tsubasa's stomach. Somehow, his ice-cream was still untouched, in a perfect and upright position.

Yu and his ice-cream. Oh brother.

"Hey, Yu...Yu," Tsubasa rubbed the shaking child's back and wondered what to say. He was so awkward with words sometimes. Something would come out wrong and mess everything up. So what could he say?

Nothing. Sometimes nothing was the best thing to say.

They always said that actions speak louder than words, right?

"Yu," he gently picked the kid up and placed him on his lap. Yu didn't even fight it, he just seemed happy that Tsubasa wasn't completely angry with him.

"Are you mad at me?" the child asked timidly, big eyes full of guilt.

"No," he grinned and embraced the younger into a warm hug, "You've given me the best birthday present of all."

_A brother. What an interesting thought._

They continued to eat ice-cream and swap jokes and stories like nothing had happened. But something had definitely changed.

Each had gained a brother.

* * *

Turns out that everyone was conspiring with each other to plan a mega party at the apartment and they needed Tsubasa out of the house to do so. That's why Ryuga drained him of energy, why Kyouya had discouraged him about his friends, and why Benkei had tried to keep him occupied on skype. When Yu lead him back to the apartment, they opened the door to be greeted with a painfully loud,

"SURPRISE!"

It seemed like they had invited all of Metal Bey City! Seriously, the place was so packed, there was nearly no elbow room.

Needless to say, Tsubasa was definitely surprised. And it was rather nice to know they cared enough to throw a party like this.

"Happy Birthday Tsubasa!" Ginka sang, dragging Madoka over with him. His dark-red eyebrows furrowed worriedly almost immediately,

"You're not mad about the eagle thing, are you?"

"No," Tsubasa assured, "It was all a misunderstanding. I'm sorry about worrying you."

"Oh no, I wasn't worried," Ginka laughed, "Just...concerned."

"Ginka, you goofball!" Masamune tromped over, "Worried and concerned mean the same thing!"

"No they don't!"

"Yes they do!"

"No they don't!"

"Yes they do!"

"Actually," Tsubasa inturrupted, "They are slightly different. Worry is sort of related to obsessing, and is usually tied in with personal things, whereas concern could be a mild worry for anything."

Blank stares from both.

"Whatever."

"Thanks for confuzzling my brain, Tsubasa."

Anytime, anytime.

"Ahem!" a loud, British accented voice broke through.

Why did it sound so familiar?

Everyone paused for a moment to get a peek of the doorway where a tall, lean man stood. He pushed up his glasses and smirked, a small cage in one hand and a glass of orange juice in the other.

Doji.

He walked forward towards Tsubasa, all party guests stepping out of the way to clear a path.

"Happy Birthday, Rat!" Doji greeted, glasses gleaming in the light.

"Doji?" Tsubasa inquired, "What are you doing here?"

"It's your birthday, so what kind of a person would I be if I didn't give you a birthday present?"

Doji proceeded to hand over the cage to Tsubasa, who took it awkwardly, inwardly cringing as he heard something squeak from the inside.

"For your birthday, I got you a rat named Rat!"

_Um...what?_

"Thanks?"

"Yes, yes of course," with that, Doji turned to leave, cackling evilly. "Well, enjoy your rat named Rat, Rat! MWAHAHAHA!"

A door slammed and he was gone.

"That was...weird," Tsubasa decided.

"No kidding," Madoka agreed.

"I THINK IT WAS THE VERY EXAMPLE OF AWESOME!" Masamune screeched, jumping up and down, "Can I hold him? Can I hold him? Can I hold him!"

"No, I want to hold him!" Ginka fought, reaching for the rusted cage.

"Ginka, you glory-hogger! You always want the rats first!"

_Does this happen with you two on a regular basis? Wanting the rats first?_

"Give him to me, NOW!" Masamune grabbed onto one side of the cage and pulled.

"NO ME!" in response, Ginka latched onto the other side and tugged.

"NO ME!"

"NO ME!"

"NO ME!"

Somehow, the cage slipped out of both of their hands and went flying in the air, before crashing back down. The old cage shattered and Rat was free. Free to scurry around and freak everyone out as much as he pleased.

Girls screamed, guys shuffled around confusedly and it was all pretty much a big mess.

Yet in spite of it all, Tsubasa found himself laughing at the whole thing. Laughing until his stomach hurt.

"I'm so sorry, Tsubasa!" Yu apologized, frowning deeply, "There goes your birthday party," he paused for a moment to consider a weird thought, "You got upstaged by a _rat_."

"Don't worry about it Yu," Tsubasa laughed lightly, "After this, I don't think anyone will want to give me any more presents."

And after today's experiences, that was a good thing for Tsubasa. A very, very good thing.

"Happy Birthday, Tsubasa," Yu smiled climbing onto the older's back for a piggy back ride.

Tsubasa grinned and wrapped his arms around the kid's legs for the ride,

"Thanks. Little brother."

* * *

_Hope you liked! :)_


End file.
